Guardrail bracket for ladder staging



Nov. 18, 1952 G. s. MARCHESSAULT 2,613,515

GUARDRAIL BRACKET FOR LADDER STAGING Filed April 15, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEETl INVENTOR. GEOQGE SMAQQHESSAULT Nov. 18, 1952 c. s. MARCHESSAULT2,618,515

GUARDRAIL BRACKET FOR LADDER STAGING IN VEN TOR. G EOQGE 5.MAFZCHESSAULT Patented Nov. 18, 1952 GUARDRAIL BRACKET FGR, LADDERSTAGING George S. Marchessault, Lowell, Mass.

Application April 15, 1949, Serial No. 87,680

6 Claims.

l'his invention relates to guardrail brackets, and more particularly toa detachable guardrail bracket assembly which can be adjustably securedto ladder staging to support a guardrail in proper position relative toa ladder-supported platform.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a guardrail bracketassembly which is of extremely strong and durable construction, but oflight weight, and foldable to compact size for transportation andstorage, which can easily be carried by hand and quickly and easilymounted on the staging without the use of bolts, screws or otherfastening devices, which is fully adjustable to position the guardrailat a desired posi-' tion relative to a ladder-supporting platform, whichcan be used with various types of ladder staging and can be applied tothe staging without any modification of the latter, and which is simplein construction and extremely economical to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a considerationof the following description and the appended claims in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a ladder-staging unit showing a pair ofguardrail-supporting brackets, illustrative of the invention, operative-1y positioned on the staging, and a guardrail supported by the brackets;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-section on a somewhat enlarged scale onthe line 2-2 of Figure 1, showing one of the guardrail-supportingbracket assemblies in side elevation;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the guardrailsupporting bracketillustrated in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing the guardrail-supportingbracket assembly in folded condition; and

Figure 5 is a longitudinal cross-section on a somewhat enlarged scale ofa fragmentary portion of the ladder-supporting bracket, and is takensubstantially on the line 55 of Figure 4.

With continued reference to the drawings, and particularly to Figure 1,the ladder staging therein illustrated comprises two conventionalextension ladders, generally indicated at It] and H inclined against awall upon which work is to be performed.

It is to be understood that the guardrail-suprepairing, and lumber andmasonry construc- 2 tion. It is also to be understood that the laddersmay be either single ladders or extension ladders without in any wayaffecting the application and operation of the guardrail-supportingbrackets. I

In addition to the ladders it and ii, the staging includes a horizontalwork platform 52 secured to the ladders it and H by respectivesuspension assemblies, generally indicated at E3 and M, a guardrail l5supported at a desired level above the platform l2 and substantiallyparallel to the ladder, and two guardraiLsupporting bracket assemblies,generally indicated at I5 and I1, respectively attached to the ladderslo and H and supporting the guardrail I5.

The platform I2 andits suspension assemblies I 3 and I4 may be of anyconventional or desired construction, one form having been illustratedin detail in Figure 2 to provide a more complete understanding of theconstruction and operation of the guardrail-supporting bracketassemblies of the invention. The ladders E8 and II, and the platform l2and its suspension assemblies constitute no part of the presentinvention, except in the combination thereof with theguardrail-supporting bracket assemblies.

As illustrated in Figure 2, the platform 52 comprises a flat, elongatedplank which may be either of solid or fabricated construction, and theplatform suspending assembly 13 comprises a pair of .c-shaped clips l8and K! respectively embracing the rails 20 and 2| of the bottom ladderunit 22. Obviously, the clips may embrace the rails 23 and 24 of theladder extension unit 25, if it is desired to position the platform at alevel above the upper end of the bottom ladder unit 22.

Respective girders 26 and 21 extend outwardly from the clips l8 and I9and converge outwardly to a bracket 28 connected between the girders attheir outer ends. This bracket has a pair of upstanding, apertured lugs29 thereon, and a bar 3!! is pivotally connected at one end to the lugs29. This bar is provided with spaced-apart, inclined notches 3| in itsupperedge, and a stop-pin 32 extends through the free end of the bar Aloop 33 slidably surrounds the bar 30and is selectively engageable inthe notches 3|, and a pair of hooks 34 diverges from the loop 33 andengages one of the ladder rungs 35. By selectively engaging the loop 33in the notches 3|, the girders 26 can be supported from the ladder atany desired angle relative to the ladder rails 20 and 2| so thattheplatform plank can be supported; on the girders in a substantiallyhorizontal posh" tion regardless of the angle of inclination of theladders.

The guardrail-supporting bracket l6, illustrated in detail in Figures 2,3 and 4, comprises a straight, elongated standard 36 which is preferablyformed of two flat metal bars or straps secured together insuperimposed, face-to-face relationship. At one end of the standardthese bars are twisted through an angle of substantially 90 degrees, andare then bent outwardly to provide a bight and two spaced-apart,substantially parallel legs of an inverted, U-shaped socket 31 whichreceives one of the ladder rungs 35 below the platform [2. A leaf spring38 is secured to one of the socket legs near the outer end of thelatter, and extends inwardly of the socket toward the opposite leg tobear against the ladder rung received in the socket to eliminate play ofthe rung in the socket.

A bar 39 projects laterally outward from the standard 36 at the end ofthe latter opposite the socket 31, and this bar is provided withspacedapart, detent-receiving notches 40 in its upper edge. A diagonalbrace 4| is connected at one end to the bar 39 at the outer end of thelatter, and is connected intermediate its length to the standard 36intermediate the length of the standard, passing between the two straps42 and 43 of the standard, as particularly illustrated in Figure 5, andbeing secured to these straps by suitable fasteners, such as the rivets44. This brace extends beyond the standard from the bar 39, and isprovided at its end opposite the bar with a rung-engaging formation 45provided by twisting the end portion of the brace through an angle ofapproximately 90 degrees and bending such twisted portion to an obtuseangle to the remainder of the brace. The rung-engaging formation 45 ofthe brace is positioned to engage a ladder rung 35 immediately above therung engaged by the standard socket 31, and a leaf spring 46 is securedto the outer end of the run-engaging formation 45 and extends inwardlyof this formation and toward the standard 36 to compress the associatedladder rung between the spring and the standard, as particularlyillustrated in Figure 2, to provide a tight connection between therung-receiving formation 45 of the brace and the associated ladder rung.

A latch lever 4! is disposed between the two straps 42 and 43 of thestandard 36 opposite the run-engaging formation 45 of the brace, and ispivotally connected to the standard by a suitable pivot pin 48. Thislatch lever projects across the space between the standard 36 and therungengaging formation 45 of the brace and bears at its correspondingend against the leaf spring 46, so that, when the bracket is forceddownwardly over the associated ladder rung 35, the latch lever will beraised and will then fall into locking position under the ladder rung,as illustrated in Figure 2. Before the bracket can be disengaged fromthe ladder, the outer end of the latch lever 41 must be depressed tomove the portion of the lever between the standard and the rung-engagingformation of the brace out of the way of the rung, so that the rung canpass relatively downward past the formation 45.

.A ladder rail-engaging clip 49 is secured to the standard adjacent thesocket 31 to hold the bracket assembly in position adjacent therelatively outer rail of the ladder.

The bar 39 preferably comprises two spacedapart, substantially parallelmembers, as indicated at.50 and in Figure 5, re spectively se-' cured atcorresponding ends to the outer sides of the straps 42 and 43 of thestandard at the ends of such straps remote from the socket 31, and arung-engaging hook 52 is received at one end between the straps 42 and43 near the bar 39 and projects laterally outward from the standard 36in a direction opposite the notched bar. This hook is firmly secured tothe standard by suitable means, such as rivets or welding, and ispositioned to engage the ladder rung 35 immediately above the ladderrung engaged by the rung-engaging formation 45 of the brace 41.

An elongated arm 53 is pivotally connected at one end to the standard 36adjacent the bar 39, and is provided at its opposite end with arectangular eye 54 for receiving the guardrail l5.

The arm 53 comprises two flat metal bars or straps, as indicated at 55and 56, in Figure 3, which are disposed in super-imposed, face-tofacerelationship and secured together intermediate their length by suitablemeans, such as the rivets 51. At one end of the arm the straps 55 and 56are separated to receive the bar members and 5| therebetween, and areprovided, near their ends, with respective apertures through whichextends a pivot bolt 58.

The pivot bolt 58 extends through elongated slots 59 in the strapmembers of the standard 36 to pivotally connect the arm to the standardand permit a limited freedom of longitudinal movement of the armrelative to the standard. A pin 69 extends through the members and 56 ofthe arm at a location spaced from the pin 58, and in position to engagein the notches 49 of the bar 39. By means of the lost-motion-connectionprovided by the slots 59, the arm can be raised, so that the pin 69 canbe engaged in and lifted out of the notches 49, as may be desired.

One of the straps of the arm, for example, the strap 55, is terminatedat the inner end of the eye 54, and the other strap is twisted at thislocation through an angle of approximately 90 degrees and then bentaround a rectangular form to provide the eye.

When the bracket is operatively mounted on the ladder it engages threeadjacent ladder rungs, as is particularly illustrated in Figure 2, tofirmly attach the bracket to the ladder, and the arm 53 supports theguardrail I5 at a desired location above the platform I2 and at adesired distance from the latter, the distance between the guardrail andthe ladder being adjustable by selection of the notch 49 in which thepin is engaged.

The bracket can be removed from the ladder by merely depressing theouter end of the latch lever 4'! and lifting the entire bracket off ofthe ladder rungs. After the bracket has been removed from the ladder,the arm 53 can be folded to a position in which it extends along thestandard 36, as particularly illustrated in Figure l, to reduce thelength of the bracket and bring it to a compact form for transportationor storage.

In the use of the brackets, two brackets will preferably be provided foreach length of guardrail, and at least one bracket will be secured toeach ladder of the ladder staging. Some ladders may carry two bracketswhere adjacent lengths of the guardrail come together. In the use ofordinary two-ladder staging, as illustrated in Figure 1, only twobrackets will be required and, since the bracket I! is identical inconstruction to the bracket [6, described in detail above, a detaileddescription of the bracket ll is not considered necessary for thepurposes of the present disclosure.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to be embracedtherein.

What is claimed is:

1. A guardrail bracket assembly for ladder staging comprising anelongated standard having on one end a U-shaped socket for receiving aladder rung, a bar extending laterally outward from said standard at theopposite end of the latter and having spaced-apart, pin-receivingnotches therein, a ladder-rungengaging hook extending outwardly fromsaid standard adjacent to and in the opposite direction from saidnotched bar, a diagonal brace connected at one end to said bar at theouter end of the latter and connected intermediate its length to saidstandard intermediate the length of the latter, said brace extendingbeyond said standard from said bar and having a ladder-rung-engagingstructure at its end remote from said bar, a ladder-railreceiving clipon said standard adjacent said U- shaped socket, an arm pivotallysecured at one end to said standard intermediate the length of thelatter, said standard having a pin-receiving slot therein and said armhaving at one end a pivot pin received in said slot, a detent on saidarm selectively engageable in the notches of said bar to adjustablyposition said arm relative to said standard, and a guardrail-receivingeye at the opposite end of said arm.

2. A guardrail bracket assembly for ladder staging comprising anelongated standard, ladder-rung-engaging means on said standard adjacentthe opposite ends of the latter for respectively engaging spaced apartladder rungs, a bar extending laterally from said standard near one endof the latter and having spacedapart notches .therein, an arm pivotallyconnected at one end to said standard adjacent said notched bar, detentmeans on said arm engageable in the notches in said bar, said arm havinga lost motion connection with said standard for manually moving saiddetent relative to said bar and selectively engaging it in said notchesto secure said arm at selected positions of angular adjustment relativeto said standard, and a guardrail-receiving eye at the opposite end ofsaid arm.

3. A guardrail bracket assembly for ladder staging comprising anelongated standard, ladder-rung-engaging means on said standard near theopposite ends of the latter, an elongated arm pivotally connected at oneend to said standard near one end of the latter, guardrail-receivingmeans on the opposite end of said arm, and

6 means adjustably connected between said standard and said arm tosecure said arm at selected positions of angular adjustment relative tosaid standard.

4. A guardrail bracket assembly for ladder staging comprising anelongated standard, three arm, and means adjustably connected betweensaid arm and said stand-ard near the pivotal connection between thelatter and said arm to secure said arm at selected positions of angularadjustment relative to said standard.

5. A guardrail bracket assembly for ladder staging comprising anelongated standard, three ladder-rung-engaging means on said standardspaced apart to engage three consecutive ladder rungs, two of such meansbeing disposed at respectively opposite ends of said standard, anelongated arm pivotally secured at one end to said standard near one endof the ladder, guardrail-receiving-means on the opposite end of said.arm, and means adjustably connected between said arm and said standardnear the pivotal connection between the latter and said arm to securesaid arm at selected positions of angular adjustment relative to saidstandard, said standard and said arm each comprising two flat metal barssecured together in super-imposed, face-toface relationship.

6. A guardrail bracket assembly for ladder staging comprising anelongated standard, three ladder-rung-engaging means on said standardspaced apart to engage three consecutive ladder rungs, two of such meansbeing disposed at respectively opposite ends of said standard, anelongated arm pivotally secured at one end to said standard near one endof the latter, guardrailreceiving-means on the opposite end of said arm,and means adjustably connected between said arm and said standard nearthe pivotal connection between the latter and said arm to secure saidarm at selected positions of angular-adjustment relative to saidstandard, said means ad- .justably connected between said arm and saidstandard comprising a bar projecting laterally from said standard atsaid one end of the latter and having spaced-apart notches therealong,

and a detent on said arm selectively engageable in the notches in saidbar.

GEORGE S. MARCHESSAULT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

Warner June 9, 1936

